Porirua Youth Award nom­i­na­tions open

Time is nearly up to nom­i­nate your favourite young per­son for 2011’s Porirua Youth Awards.

If you know a child or teenager tal­ented in the arts, sport or ed­u­ca­tion, or who de­votes them­selves to the com­mu­nity, be sure to nom­i­nate them by this Fri­day, Au­gust 19.

Eight awards are up for grabs. Prize money up to $1000 is awarded to win­ners, to be used for travel, projects or tu­ition fees in their area of in­ter­est.

The four cat­e­gories are arts and cul­ture, en­vi­ron­ment and com­mu­nity, sports, and ed­u­ca­tion.

Age ranges for the award are 12 to 15 years or 16 to 19 years, and all en­trants must at­tend school or polytech­nic in Porirua.

Two of last year’s win­ners used their prize money to travel over­seas, pur­su­ing their pas­sion.

Twelve-year-old bud­ding foot­ball star Do­minic Wooldridge trav­elled to Ja­pan to play in the 22nd Asian Cup. Clas­si­cal pi­anist and vi­o­lin­ist As­aph Verner, 17, went to Philadel­phia and New York to look at univer­sity op­por­tu­ni­ties and soak up the United States’ clas­si­cal mu­sic scene.